Old couple.

Actress Jenna-Louise Coleman will be the new companion beginning in the “Doctor Who Christmas Special 2012,” but she made an early appearance in the series 7 premiere “Asylum of the Daleks” as Oswin Oswald, a human who is converted into a Dalek. Turning one of the Doctor’s greatest enemies would certainly be in keeping with the announcement by Executive Producer Steven Moffat that the next companion would be “someone very different – the Doctor is going to meet someone very new in the very last place he could ever have expected…”

Two companions in one.

Who’s that girl?

It might be a long-shot but there’s some clues that Oswin is a regeneration of River Song. Moffat is known for using anagrams and Oswin Oswald could stand for “is now” and “was old,” which suggests she regenerated from an older appearance. At one point Oswin flirts with Rory, River’s father, but that can be explained away by her losing her memory and because she did it jokingly. Oswin tells him that she fancied a boy named Rory. “Actually she was called Nina. I was going through a phase,” she confesses. River is also bisexual, according to Moffat. Nina could be a reference to River’s previous regeneration, Mels, who was played by Nina Toussaint-White and a regeneration could be considered a “phase.”

River Song will also make an appearance in “The Angels Take Manhattan” which perhaps not coincidentally is the episode before Oswin’s debut as companion. Going against this theory is the fact that River died and was upload to a virtual world in “Forest of the Dead” but what can be uploaded can be downloaded. Also the Doctor didn’t know she could regenerate, which she could have done after he left like his clone Jenny in “The Doctor’s Daughter.” Although River allegedly used up all her regenerations in “Let’s Kill Hitler” that’s impossible to confirm. River isn’t a Time Lord therefore their rules don’t apply to her. Finally, Time Lords can chose their appearance during regeneration so River could regenerate into Oswin and then back to maintain existing canon. Stranger things have happened.

The name Oswin Oswald could also relate to the Weeping Angels that appear in “The Angels Take Manhattan.” Oswin means “God’s friend” and Oswald means “God’s power.” Angels are both God’s friend and power. Even if she’s not related the Weeping Angels, the repetition of God clearly indicates she isn’t merely human.

Space IKEA had a sale.

It’s also interesting that Oswin’s chair is nearly identical to Jenny’s chair but that’s probably just a coincidence. It would conflict with Oswin’s declaration of her humanity after memories return.

“Remember.”
Madame Vastra (Silurian), Sontaran, Dalek in a dress, Oswin Oswald, (clockwise from top left).

There’s some speculation that the new companion, who was rumored to be named Clara, will be a relative since Oswin presumably dies at the end of the episode when the planet explodes but even if she died, the new companion could still be Oswin.

Her final words suggest they have met before. “Run you clever boy and remember,” she tells the Doctor while looking into the camera and breaking the fourth wall. The Doctor constantly uses the adjective “clever,” while “remember” could mean that he’s forgotten her. Unlike with River Song where their interactions were out of order, perhaps this will be a prequel of a forgotten companion who joined the Doctor during his time away from Amy and Rory. A previous relationship is also hinted when Oswin plays the famous aria from the opera Carmen known as “L’amour est un oiseau rebelle” (“Love is a rebellious bird”). Upon hearing the music the Doctor comments that he played the triangle, which could be double entendre since the opera is about a love triangle. The opera is from the Victorian era which Oswin was spotted in during production along with Madame Vastra, a Silurian, and a Sontaran dressed in Victorian era clothing photos (left). The conspicuous looking aliens are presumably using a perception filter to appear human. That could also be the case with Oswin so she might still be a Dalek or she could have transformed herself into one of the human looking Daleks. Remember that Daleks have an emergency temporal shift, which would have allowed her to escape the destruction of the planet. If she did escape she would have most likely hitched a ride with the Doctor on the TARDIS, which the “very last place” the Doctor would expect to meet his new companion. If there is a Dalek stowaway, there will likely be clues like things out of place in the TARDIS.

Regardless of whether if this theory pans out, I like the idea of a Dalek companion so much that I decided to do a Doctor Who webcomic, which will be up shortly.

UPDATE 1:
In “A Town Called Mercy” the Doctor says he is over 1,200-years-old. That is significantly older than the either the 909-years-old Doctor or the 1,103-years-old Doctor, who was killed in “The Impossible Astronaut.” It seems the Doctor has had many adventures in this time apart from Amy & Rory, which would correlate to the forgotten companion theory.

Later in the episode, the Doctor disperses a mob saying, “frightened people, gimme a Dalek any day.” This could be a hint that Oswin will travel with the Doctor as a Dalek.

UPDATE 2:

In the Christmas special “The Snowmen,” Madame Vastra asks Clara to explain in one word why the Doctor should help her. “Pond,” she answers. The implication is that Clara has some connection Pond family. Of course if she were River Song she’d probably say “River” or “Song.” What if Amy and Rory had a second child? Then again, it’s possible Clara was just referring to the pond from which the ice woman emerges.

UPDATE 3:

Whether or not Clara Oswin Oswald is River Song should be confirmed when Alex Kingston returns in the season 7 finale.

UPDATE 4:

Matt Smith is reportedly quitting and evidence suggests Clara could be the Twelfth Doctor

UPDATE 5:

David Tennant and Billie Piper will return in the 50th Anniversary Special November 23, which just happens to be Clara’s birthday, as revealed on her tombstone in “The Snowmen.” Could Clara be the daughter of the human Doctor and Rose?

UPDATE 6:

The forgotten companion theory has all but been confirmed.

Coleman told the BBC, “All I can say is that Clara hasn’t just met the Doctor three times before…” In fact, the trailer for the season finale shows Clara with Bessie, the Third Doctor’s car.